As hate-by-executive-order continues to spew from the Oval Office, congressional Republicans line up to prove their worthiness with the obedience of lap dogs. Yet, as inbred and unstable as generational bigotry tends to be, I believe each hateful effort will fall of its own dead weight and self-serving intent.

The contagion of hate is formidable. A majority of Americans, however, still believe in fair play, inclusion, kindness, and respect. With over 24,373,000 (9.3%) American adults openly identifying as LGBTQ+, according to 2024 Gallup results, and over 80 percent of the general population supporting LGBTQ+ rights, the current administration’s deadly rhetoric does not reflect our nation.

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Sarah McBride knows what she’s doing
Many are angry that she chose to comply with Mike Johnson’s anti-trans rule, but she’s too smart to fall for the GOP’s tricks.

Fully emboldened, many who follow Donald Trump’s hateful lead now brandish their contempt openly in the public square. From experience, I prefer it that way – out from the shadows and into the light of day, where we can address their twisted mindset that a “lesser class of humans” exists. A class considered undeserving of basic human rights and constitutional liberties by these elitist, superior beings.

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Congressman Keith Self (R-TX) slithered out of the shadows to misgender Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-DE), addressing her as “Mr. McBride,” during a subcommittee hearing on Arms Control. If it weren’t so dangerous, this might be laughable, the stuff of Lindsey Lohan’s Mean Girls. But to dehumanize an individual or group is step one in the genocidal playbook. 

A long-standing tactic toward the elimination of perceived opponents, to dehumanize them, has been among Trump’s go-tos for years. From referring to immigrants as rapists, to his “they’re eating the dogs” campaign moment, to reducing the 3.2 million men, women, and children of Puerto Rico to “a floating island of garbage,” the intent is always the same – to dehumanize, creating a lesser class of human, undeserving of empathy and rights. 

Often used in wartime against an enemy, the inhabitants of Southeast Asia, for example, were referred to in vulgar, pejorative terms such as “gooks,” removing their perception as fathers, sons, and brothers. Seeing one’s enemies as lesser human beings allows for their elimination.

Self’s assault on Congresswoman McBride was intended to diminish and dehumanize. It achieved neither. As an grown adult, McBride does not need me to defend her or explain her existence. Nope, as a native Delawarean and family friend since her teenage years, of one thing I am certain – McBride is hardly in need of defending by me or anyone else. Brilliant, prepared, secure in the knowledge of who she is and the scope of her mission to serve her constituents, the depth of her integrity is forged in steel, creating roots to weather any storm. Especially the feckless winds of entitled bullies in ties.

With a love of country worthy of evoking the patriotism of Joan of Arc, who also transcended the turbulent gender perceptions of her time, Sarah McBride is well on her way to effect real change through authentic leadership. 

The parallels to Joan of Arc (1412-1431) are worth noting. Recognized for her exceptional courage and strategic leadership of the French army, Joan was later tried and sentenced to death by the fragile men of her generation, in great part for the crime of wearing men’s clothes. Twenty-five years after her death, her verdict was overturned as “tainted by deceit and error.” Canonized as a patron saint of France, she remains a symbol of freedom and independence. 

So I thank the appropriately christened, Self, for exposing his 15th-century nature, stunted and grotesque as it may be. For you, sir, have helped to further elevate Congresswoman McBride, a public servant that has so consistently insisted on taking the high road, those of you with moral cataracts, Mr. Self, can’t even see her up there.

Congresswoman McBride has earned our respect and admiration, not because of anything having to do with gender identity, but because of her abilities, proven track record, empathy, compassion, and as Dr. King would remind us, the content of her character.

Now is the time to stand up for what is right, just, and humane. As exemplified by Rep. Bill Keating’s rebuke of Mr. Self’s assault, decency demands that each of us stand with representatives of good conscience, like McBride, right here and now, in this fragile and fractured moment in history, scarred by a handful of insatiable, power-mongering billionaires hell-bent on stripping our most vulnerable citizens of their humanity.

Beneath the gender hype, however, we must ask ourselves this question: why are Trump and his minions focused on transgender people? They are among the smallest minorities, so why them, why now? Are these politicians of such estimable character that they truly fear for the moral fiber of the American family?

Of course not. We all know what they value: money, power, control. Their focus on gender is intended for one reason: to distract and consume our attention while the work of authoritarianism dismantles the structures and institutions that safeguard our freedoms.

Some say this regime will fall of its own foolishness, cruelty, and greed. That may be true, but I believe in action, strategic action. So let’s speak out, call a public official, join a local political initiative, support independent news media, join boycotts that make sense, support initiatives to protect our most vulnerable neighbors, and if we’re able, contribute to one the dozens of legal groups safeguarding our liberties in the courts, such as the ACLU, Common Cause, Lambda Legal, The Center for Biological Diversity, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

This is a time for action, but equally important, a time for self-care. We must remember to lean into friendships, loved ones, and community. Calming the emotional disturbance within does not mean we abandon our principles and beliefs. But rather, a means to finding serenity within the storm. The storm is here. 

The good news is that despite the current administration’s ascension, the majority of Americans still value honor, dignity, hard work, inclusion, and fair play. Together, we are a formidable force and far more resilient than we know.

David Topel is the author of The Heart of a Leader: The ’82 Biden Senate Campaign. A retired attorney, social justice advocate and freelance writer, he is the Founding Board President (Emeritus) of Philadelphia’s lgbtq youth center, The Attic.

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